Oui, Chef

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

We've been going a bit crazy with rhubarb around here as of late.  As the first true sign of spring produce we see in these parts we like to greet it's arrival with a bit of fanfare, thank you very much.  So far we've used the lovely, tart red-green stalks in a knock-out Rhubarb Fool recipe we pinched from our friends Jody and Ken at The Garum Factory, in some Rhubarb Mojitos concocted by our fun dinner companion Tammy, and in this super easy, yet wildly delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.

S'More Tarts

I've had the thought of these little buggers marinating in the back of my brain for a while now.  In fact, about 6 months ago I titled a post "S'more Tarts" as a placeholder and reminder that the concept seemed worthy of a little investigation and culinary creativity.  Well, last week after having seen that empty post yet again, I decided it was time to get off my ass couch and get busy making a Oui, Chef version of these treats.

PB & J Bars

Here's a treat designed to please the little kid in all of us.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I still have days where I crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on white bread, of course) with a handful (or three) of crispy potato chips and a tall glass of cold milk for lunch.  It was my favorite lunch as a kid, and still satisfies like nothing else can to this day.

Thankfully I've given up my childhood vice of eating "Peter Pan" creamy straight from the jar with a spoon (it wasn't a good look on me), but I bet I still eat a good old-fashioned PB & J about once a month.  If you haven't had one in years do yourself a favor and make one soon, it will make you smile.

Broccoli and Tarragon Quiche

Fine Cooking Magazine recently ran a "Create Your Own Recipe" feature for how to make quiche.  As they've done with braises and stir-fries, they focus on the basic elements of a dish, then suggest all sorts of ways to inject your own creativity to come up with an original taste.  We took their basic crust and custard recipes and added veggies and cheese to our liking.  The result....quite delicious.

A Sublime Brownie

My friends over at Food52 showcased this recipe recently in their "Genius Recipe" feature, and if the picture above doesn't sell you, a single bite will convince you that the Food52ers sure know how to pick'em.

It's been a while since we've made brownies around here, so I suppose there's a chance that brownie deprivation had something to do with the ravenous welcome these treats received among my gaggle of chocoholics.  That said, I don't care if you've been eating a brownie every day for the past month, if dark, fudgy brownies are your thing, these killers are gonna rock your world!

Curried Lentil Soup with Shrimp

This meal started out as a "Meatless Monday" dish, but when I came across a few shrimp in the freezer begging to be put to good use, I decided to bend the rules a little and toss them into this veggie soup.  The technique behind this soup is outstanding and could be put to use for many a grain or bean based meal.  Add meat or seafood if you're in the mood, or make it meatless...it's your call.

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Anyone who has spent any amount of time visiting Oui, Chef knows that we're a household of chocolate freaks and  brownie aficionados of the highest order.  There are countless ways to kill yourself with chocolate here, and at current count 6 different brownie recipes with which to indulge even your darkest cocoa-laced fantasy.

You will also note that up until this point we haven't posted a single "blondie" recipe.

Why?

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

 

A tasty ball dipped in blue cheese dressing....YUM!

Had I been more on the stick a few weeks back I would have posted this dish as an awesome addition to a Super Bowl Sunday spread.  As it were, with my beloved Patriots out of the mix I didn't give a rat's patooty about the game, and all thoughts of tail-gating chow were scrapped for another season.

Sorry if I let you down.

Of course, football isn't the only sport worthy of fun food on game day and with the NHL and NBA seasons in full swing, and MLB spring training right around the corner, I'm sure that you'll find some excuse to make these awesome meatballs soon.....not that you need one.

Roasted Garlic, Fontina and Chicken Risotto

I bought a big bag of great looking garlic at my market not long ago and worked my way through most of it one or two cloves at a time in the normal course of cooking.  As it was starting to take on the feel of a permanent resident of my fridge, I decided that I needed to come up with a recipe that would allow me to use up the few remaining heads in one fell swoop.  Enter this dish, which puts two heads of sweet, roasted garlic to excellent use.  We roasted the two remaining heads as well, and used them to spread on slices of grilled rustic bread, and to perfume some EVOO for dipping oil.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

 

These cookies may look a bit like the ubiquitous Peanut Butter Blossoms, but they are something else entirely.  I'm a fan of the blossoms, but mostly for the peanut flavored cookie because let's face it, the Hershey Kiss is a rather disappointing piece of chocolate.  I know...it has a pretty shape and a cute name, but its waxy mouthfeel and boring flavor always leaves me wanting.

Not so with these thumbprint cookies, these little morsels totally satisfy with their almond-shortbread base studded with crunchy crystal sugar, and their filling of a simple ganache made with the finest bittersweet chocolate.  They're a breeze to make, and the ideal cookie to bake and share as the recipe as written here will easily make 6 dozen of these little gems.  In case math isn't your thing, that means 5 dozen for you to enjoy, 1 dozen to share ;-)